The invention relates to a weather strip for use on a sunroof of a car so as to ensure sealing property between a roof panel and a roof glass.
A conventional weather strip for use on a sunroof is described now with reference FIGS. 1 and 2.
A weather strip 20 is provided on a sunroof of a car for ensuring sealing property between a roof panel 11 and a roof glass 12. The weather strip 20 generally comprises a built-in base part 21 attached to the roof glass 12 and a hollow seal part 22 integrally formed with the built-in base part 21, which elastically contacts the roof panel 11. The hollow seal part 22 has substantially a uniform thickness and is substantially semicircular in cross section, and it also has continuous ends 24 which are formed on both ends of the hollow seal part 22 and continuous with the built-in base part 21.
Accordingly, in a state where the weather strip 20 is attached to the sunroof, the hollow seal part 22 is elastically deformed and a tip end contact part 23 thereof is brought into intimate contact with the roof panel 11 to ensure sealing property between the weather strip 20 and the roof panel 11.
However, the conventional weather strip 20 for use on a sunroof has a problem that squeak noises are generated between the hollow seal part 22 and the roof panel 11 due to vibrations generated while driving a car.
The squeak noises are caused by the fact that the tip end contact part 23 of the hollow seal part 22 cannot follow the vibrations of the roof panel 11. That is, since the hollow seal part 22 has substantially a uniform thickness, while the tip end contact part 23 thereof elastically contacts the roof glass 12, sealing repulsion is concentrated to the continuous ends 24 of the hollow seal part 22.
As a result, middle parts between the continuous ends 24 and the tip end contact part 23 of the hollow seal part 22 (which are the parts elastically deformed most) are elastically deformed outward, and hence the amount of elastic deformation of the tip end contact part 23 of the hollow seal part 22 is reduced. Accordingly, a contact area 30 of the tip end contact part 23 relative to the roof panel 11 is made smaller, and hence sealing repulsion locally acts on the roof panel 11. As a result, when the roof panel 11 is vibrated, the tip end contact part 23 of the hollow seal part 22 slides on the roof panel 11 so that squeak noises are generated.
The invention has been developed to solve the foregoing problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a weather strip for use on a sunroof capable of preventing squeak noises from generating between a hollow seal part and a roof panel while driving a car by making the hollow seal part follow vibrations of the roof panel.
A weather strip 1 for use on a sunroof according to the invention for ensuring sealing property between a roof glass 12 mounted on the sunroof of a car and a roof panel 11 comprises a built-in base part 8 attached to the roof glass 12, and a hollow seal part 2 composed of continuous ends 4 integrally formed with the built-in base part 8 and having substantially a circular cross section. A tip end contact part 3 of the hollow seal part 2 elastically contacts the roof panel 11. Thicker parts 5 are formed on the continuous ends 4 of the hollow seal part 2 which protrudes inward and are continuous with the built-in base part 8. Protrusions 6 are formed on substantially the middle between the continuous ends 4 and the tip end contact part 3, protruding inward. The thickness 60 of the portion of the hollow seal part 2 between the protrusions 6 is made thinner and a curvature radius 50 thereof is made larger.